Brooklyn Bridge, from the Transparencies series (N137) issued by W. Duke, Sons & Co. to promote Honest Long Cut Tobacco 1884 - 1890

This small promotional card by W. Duke, Sons & Co., part of the Transparencies series, captures the Brooklyn Bridge under a night sky using lithography. The composition, framed by an ornamental border, layers the bridge, river, and sky, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. The use of color, with the glowing moon juxtaposed against the dark teal sky, evokes a sense of romanticism and wonder. The bridge itself, rendered with precise lines, suggests modernity and technological achievement, further emphasized by the presence of steamboats. As a commercial object designed to promote tobacco, it reflects the rise of consumer culture and the use of art to create desire. Through its stylized rendering and careful composition, the card conveys not just an image of a bridge, but also a set of cultural values tied to progress, industry, and the allure of the modern city.